This pericope is short and packed with action that is all a part of this quick Markan prologue. It illustrates that Jesus’ coming and the ministry he will do is cosmic in nature. Before he even begins his teaching in Galilee, Jesus is already entering into the cosmic battle against the forces that defy God. He stands toe to toe with Satan and it’s such an easy win that it only takes one sentence. But I think there is something interesting in how that is then compared to the rest of the Gospel. Yes, we should treat this as a short prologue and introduction. Yes, Mark isn’t focusing on this part of the story and seems to may be trying to skip to the ministry part. But even still, it brings up an interesting point. Is dealing with humanity harder than dealing with Satan?